


All the Hidden Love Beneath

by AdessoFaSilenzio



Category: Eerie Crests (Webcomic)
Genre: F/F, just feelgood stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 12:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10571676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdessoFaSilenzio/pseuds/AdessoFaSilenzio
Summary: There's a meadow in the forest filled with wildflowers and the softest grass her bare feet have ever touched. She can't wipe the smile from her face; not that she really wants to.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Jamie!
> 
> Please listen with this (it might behoove you to put it on loop): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33ytCtD7DeA

Ponnilai dragged Sara along through the forest, walking backward in order to keep both of her hands in the blonde's and trusting Sara to let her know when roots or tree trunks were in her path. The trees seemed to whisper to them as they passed. Sara hated this place - she said things _lurked_ here, that something terrible lay just below the surface of their realm. Poppy had assured her that the energy where they were going was nothing but wonderful, and the look in her eyes had allayed Sara at least enough to get her to come along. It was how they got to this point, really; Poppy had eyes that Sara couldn't possibly say no to. She was laughing about something or other - Sara had spaced out for a moment as they walked - and her smile was brilliant, lit from the green-tinged sun that bled through the leaves. She was so soft, and Sara was so infatuated with her.

When she noticed the trees around them thinning, Poppy glanced behind herself, almost as though Sara weren't five inches taller than her and could also see their path. She remembered the fact with a quick "oh!" and moved to cover Sara's eyes with her fingers instead. The last thing she saw was a grin.

It made Sara's anxiety flare to life, not being able to see where she was in the midst of the pinewood, and she brought her own hands up to cover Poppy's gently. She knew Poppy would get the hint, which she did. "Will you trust me?" she asked quietly, sounding closer than she had been a moment before. It made Sara pause. Of course she trusted her, but this was _the forest_. This place held the voices - and millions of disembodied eyes. As if she could read her mind, Poppy questioned in a voice more understanding than worried "can you hear them now? Did you see anything?" She was attuned to Sara by now; it never ceased to amaze her. Sara shook her head and responded in a small voice. "No. And yes, I trust you."

"Good." Poppy's lips were soft against hers then, the scents of various incense filling Sara's nose. She was sightless, but the things she could hear and feel and smell were enough to have her melting into the embrace. Lingering on Poppy's clothes there was frankincense, which Sara knew she burned any time she was nervous. There was also jasmine and rose, which melded together to mask anything the flowers they were headed toward could conjure. Her fingers fell from her eyes and gingerly searched Poppy's face for her cheeks - Poppy laughed against her mouth when she accidentally pressed her eye, and Sara smiled in return. "Did you put a love spell on me?" She asked, breath fanning across Poppy's face in such a way that she could feel it on her own. Beneath her fingertips Sara could feel Poppy's hair trapped against her cheek, rubbing between their skin where it met. She was warm, warmer now that Sara had accused her of witchcraft. She was blushing.

They were moving again a moment later, Poppy using one hand to cover Sara's eyes and the other to lead her along. The dampness of the forest was beginning to give way to something clear and crisp; they were almost to their mysterious destination. "No, I didn't put a spell on you, silly." her voice seemed to float to Sara on the breeze. "I was... a little anxious. I burned some stuff to help."

Poppy didn't know Sara had _extensively_ researched various incense and why they were burned. She didn't know Sara had spent hours in the little shop in Blue Crests just smelling all the sticks individually and learning to differentiate them. But that was okay. She didn't need to know right now.

They walked for perhaps another three minutes before the sun broke through Poppy's fingers, dying everything Sara could see (which was nothing more than lines) red. And Poppy kissed her again when they paused, soft and slow and sweet. Sara pictured maple syrup dripping from a tap wedged into the side of a tree. When her fingers dropped they were still kissing, and Sara didn't need to open her eyes to find Poppy's hands and take them into her own. However, her eyes did open when Poppy pulled away, and the first thing Sara recognized was adoration looking back at her. Poppy had her chin tilted up, since she was so much shorter, and it was more instinctive than conscious when Sara leaned back down to kiss her again.

Whether from joy or restlessness Sara wasn't sure, but as she tilted her head Poppy shook her hands loose and tossed her arms around her neck. She felt heavy pressed against Sara, but it was a good weight. She wrapped her own arms around Poppy's waist to pull her closer.

It could have been an eternity and Sara wouldn't have cared, but finally, they broke apart once more. Poppy grinned as she looked at the scene surrounding them, but Sara hadn't bothered to look away from the girl she held. "Isn't it great?" She asked, voice full of wonder, and without lifting her eyes Sara sighed "yup." Poppy turned eyes back on her with a playful glint and ordered "knock it off, sappy. Look around."

The clearing was small and perfectly circular, with thin trees rising into the sky that made up the perimeter. She was sure faeries had created this place. It didn't feel unsafe like the rest of the woods - it didn't _watch her_ like all of the other areas. There was no fear. And filling the clearing to the brim were flowers; agrimony and aster, bugbane and red clover and the largest geraniums she had ever seen. Sara wondered if Dallas had been here yet, as it was the kind of place he would just sit for hours to escape. "Yeah, it is great." Sara turned back to Poppy, who watched her eagerly, and gave a smile that crinkled her eyes and showed teeth. Noah had called her "squinty" once for it and she had punched him dead in the nose. It was worth being suspended. Poppy cherished that smile like nothing else. 

Pulling Sara to the ground (and crushing more than just a handful of wildflowers in the process) Poppy said "lie down with me. The treeline makes this circle; at night it looks like a planetarium." She went willingly into the grass, settling into the field beside Poppy and pulling her flannel back over her shoulder from where it had slipped. Poppy wasted no time in slipping off her shoes, and Sara followed the action before leaning back into the overwhelming floral smell.

They lay in silence for a long while, staring at the washed out blue of the sky and appreciating one of Oregon's few rainless days. At some point Poppy had curled their fingers back together. Some time much later she curled into Sara's side.

It amazed the blonde how the treacherous forest could house such an amazing place. The meadow had an aura of blue and green when they'd entered whereas the trees held one of sulfur and grey. She could see the bursts of color if she focused, though now they were all drown out with bright pinks and hot reds, flares of purple scattered about. Sara dropped her gaze to the top of Poppy's head where it rest upon her chest; yeah, the colors made sense. "Hey." she called Poppy's attention, and when she turned to look at her Sara kissed her again. The angle was super awkward and made her neck hurt, but Poppy thankfully turned to prop herself up on an elbow, which pushed her up a handful of inches, so Sara let her head fall back onto the pillow of petals and kissed the other indolently. She could feel the hand that wasn’t holding Poppy up as it slid between her open flannel and her black tank top - it paused and made no effort to heat the moment, only served as another point of contact. The breeze and the sound of soft mouths moving together served as their soundtrack, and Sara slipped her own hands into the oversized cardigan Poppy used in lieu of a light jacket. She could feel the soft slope of Poppy’s back, how it curved down and back up again. There were folds from where her shirt bunched up, and Sara allowed herself to trace downward, where she found the barest sliver of uncovered skin. With gentle triumph she tucked three fingers under the hem of Poppy’s shirt and hummed a smirk into their kissing. It made Poppy wrinkle her forehead as she sat back just a little, but they were apart for maybe a second before she dipped back down. If this was love, Sara figured maybe she could handle the forest. The fairy-tales had taught her that nothing could fight evil like the power of a pure, strong love.

When Poppy moved again to rest her cheek against Sara’s heartbeat, the blonde threaded her free hand into short hair. They were comfortable like this, and the smell of the flowers mixed with the soft whooshing sound of the wind around them lulled her into a state of peace she didn’t take for granted.

She didn’t realize they had fallen asleep like that until her eyes slid open to the most breathtaking view she had ever seen. The sky was an indigo that would make velvet jealous, and splayed out before them was what looked like the entirety of the Andromeda galaxy. There was no moon, but also no light pollution, and Sara figured if she had the time and concentration she would be able to count every single star in all of the sky.

Poppy stirred against her not a moment later, a soft whine escaping her closed lips as she sat herself up. She yawned widely just as Sara teased “morning sunshine.”

“You mean _star_ shine.” she corrected easily, leaning down to peck Sara on the lips. Both of their mouths were fuzzy with sleep and Sara wondered if she had gotten a sunburn while they napped. Poppy lay herself back in her original position, only this time she was turned so the back of her head rest where Sara’s arm met her torso. “Didn’t I tell you? It’s amazing.” Sara couldn’t help but agree.

There were no mosquitoes, no bugs at all really, but there was also no moon to tell them what time it was and Sara’s phone had been dead long before they’d trekked out into the forest. “We have to leave soon.” she murmured into Poppy’s hair, lips pressed there from where she turned to kiss her crown. Poppy made a low sound of disappointed disapproval, but waited only another few seconds before climbing back up to her feet and holding a hand out to help Sara. 

She accepted the assistance, but paid her debt in the form of three fleeting kisses once she was standing. Poppy studied her afterward, eyes soft but searching, before finally asking “are you okay to go back through the trees?” Not that she really had another choice.

The thoughtfulness gave her pause, and Sara stood still while she pondered the question. After a pregnant minute, she leaned down to kiss Poppy one final time, catching both hands in hers just like Poppy had done when she led them in this afternoon. “Yes.” She breathed with a quirk of lips as she toed their almost forgotten shoes and straightened to kiss Poppy's forehead instead. “We’ll be fine.”


End file.
